Russian in the Odessa region acquired the status of a regional language. During the extraordinary session of the Odessa Regional Council on August 13 of this year, a decision was approved to grant the Russian language regional status in the territory of the Odessa region. This decision was supported by 98 deputies out of 108 registered and present in the session hall. Moreover, this issue was the only one on the agenda of the session. This decision is a logical consequence of the recently entered into force of the law of Ukraine, which changed the foundations of state policy regarding the language issue in the country. Not without protest actions. So, during the scandalous vote in front of the regional council building, opponents of the law expressed their disagreement with the actions of the deputies. True, there were not very many of them — about five dozen people. In addition, on August 13, the Odessa City Council determined that the Russian language has the status of a regional language in the city. Recall that less than a week before this event, President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych signed a law changing the principles of language policy in our country. In accordance with its provisions, local government bodies are obliged to ensure the possibility of using languages ​​other than Ukrainian in their work. Of course, provided that they are spoken by more than 10% of citizens who live in this area.